Thursday, October 06, 2005

Hurricane Stan

Dear friends and Family,

I realize that writing this so soon after my last email violates my no more than once every two week rule but I figured this was important.

Guatemalan Government has just declared our status as red.After Dennis, Katrina, and Rita many of us are hurricaned out, tired of seeing the suffering on our televisions.Yet the suffering continues whether we hear about it or not.

Let me introduce you to Stan, Katrina’s little brother.This past week, Stan has claimed lives in over half of the countries of Central America including El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, and yes even Guatemala.At least 6 deaths occurred this morning.On top of that, thousands are losing their homes.

Remember the charming little hamlet of San Marcos that I visited just under a week ago?In this short time they have gone from picturesque village to disaster zone.They are currently one of the regions “incomunicado,” they don’t have electricity, they don’t have their phone lines, and while they have too much water, they don’t have clean water.Even worse, the mountainous terrain that is Guatemala is extremely prone to landslides. Blocked roads have made traveling in and out of the region a virtual impossibility.

But what is impossible for man is possible for God and that is my primary purpose for writing.Please Pray!

Pray for the families that have lost loved ones

For those who have lost their homes and possessions

That roads would be cleared and relief would begin

For the sickness and disease that comes from stagnant water and not being able to be dry

In and around the dump people have also been affected by the hurricane.While we have not received the brunt of the storm, the uncharacteristically high amounts of rain have made living conditions miserable, for houses that already couldn’t hold out the rain the increased load have soaked and even threatened to collapse the homes of many.Increased rain has also made the terrain within the dump extremely unstable and dangerous, preventing many people from their only source of income.The government is thinking of closing down the dump during this time.While that would keep these people safe from immediate harm, it raises the question of what these 10,500 people will do for daily income and food until the dump is reopened.Finally, unusually low temperatures have added to the inability to dry out and sickness is running rampant.The leadership of Potter’s House is meeting right now to decide how they should respond in the midst of this situation.

Please Pray!

Pray for those who have lost their homes.

Pray for those unable to work and buy food during this time.

Pray for those who are sick and cold

Pray for wisdom for Potter’s House leadership of how to respond during this time.

Thank you for your time and continued support of the people of Guatemala